Microsoft confirms Windows 10 Anniversary Update glitch

Microsoft has confirmed that it is investigating reports that installation of its Windows 10 Anniversary Update, a required update for continued support of its latest-generation operating system, can cause host systems to freeze and crash.

Designed to both fix existing bugs and issues with Windows 10 as well as bring new features to the operating system, Windows 10 Anniversary Update is effectively a service pack for the platform. While it's possible to delay the installation, future updates will require the Anniversary Update as a base and software stating that the Anniversary Update is a requirement has already begun to appear. This makes the news that some users are finding the update to freeze or crash their systems, then, particularly unwelcome.

Microsoft has, via its Answers site, confirmed that it has received what it describes as 'a small number of reports' of freezing - limited, it suggests, to systems with the operating system installed on a solid-state drive (SSD) and a separate drive for applications and data - and is actively investigating the issue.

Thankfully for those affected, installation of the Windows 10 Anniversary Update is reversible. For those whose systems refuse to boot since the update, the software can be rolled back via the Recovery Console's build-reversion option or by booting into Safe Mode and uninstalling the update via the Settings app.

'We ask for your patience while we continue our investigation,' a customer support officer told the company's customers, 'and please check back on this thread for an update.'